Cinematographic picture producer



Dec. 23, 1952 E SCHMID CINEMATOGRPHIC PICTURE PRODUCER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2Filed June 17, 1950 lNl/f/vrO/Q.-

E vu L SCH M l D Patented Dec. 23, 1952 U N I T E. kD S CINEMLATGRAPHICPICTURE PRODUCER.

Emil Schmid, Zurich, Switzerland Application June 17, 1950, Serial No.168,741 In Switzerland June 18, 1949 2 Claims.

This invention relates t cinematographic picture producers which forexample may be used :for advertising or like purposes.

The picture producer according to the invertion comprises groups ofsuperposed wedgeshaped members having triangular side faces which act aspicture carriers, and driving means are provided to swing the members ofeach group successively around a common axis to such a position, inwhich a picture area is beingproduced 'by two successive members of eachgroup which are angularly displaced relative to each other by 180 andwherein illuminati-on means may be provided within the members toilluminate the picture area from the interior of the members for whichpurpose the members can be made hollow and transparent.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying`drawings showing a preferred embodiment of a cinematic pictureproducer.

Fig. l is a front View of a part of the picture producer,

Fig. 2 is a section along the line II-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III-'of Fig. 1,

Fig. e is a Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a section along the lineV-V of Fig. 1,

section along the line IVIV of Fig. 6 is a section along the line lll-VIof Fig. 1, and

v Fig. 7 is a front view of the picture producer drawn to a smallerscale and comprising two superposedgroups of picture area formingmembers.

As represented in the drawings a number of wedge-shaped members I areforming one of the superposed groups. The wedge edges or summits of themembers l of each group approximately are located in one common axis,whereby the clearance or gap between two wedge edges is relatively smallas for example T15 mm. The wedge members of each group are mounted ior.pivoting Imovenfierit about the said common axis, the members beingconnected to driving means as will be described in the following.

1n the position of the wedge members,shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 fand 7, thesurfaces a of the two members placed at 180 lone relatively to the otherof each group form a picture area, which is divided into rectangularelds. The wedge faces are painted or covered with pictures or they cancarry inscriptions, so that a cinematographic effect Vwill be producedin case the sides a belonging to a picture area, or the correspondingwedge members I of each group, will successively be turned atpredetermined intervals. The tW-o surfaces a. of each group ofsup'erposed members can be turned together or in succession into thesaid position around the corresponding axis. The distance between twoadjacent fields a of two superpcsed groups also is very small, as forexample 1 mm.,l so that upon operation yof the apparatus, one has 'theimpression of seeing a closed single picture area. It may be readilyrecognized that such small clearances between the single elds a can onlybe obtained by the wedge-shape Aof the members l which are arranged ingroups.

In the represented example (Fig. 7) two such groups are mounted insuper'posed relation in a frame '2. Along the side wall of the frame avertical driving shaft 3 is mounted,` which for example may be indriving connection with an electric motor, which, however, is notrepresented, for example by the intermediary of a gear. The drivingshaft 3 is provided with bevel wheels Il, which are extending thruopenings in the wall of the frame and. which are engaging bevel wheels tmounted on the swing shaft 'I which is located in the said common axisof rotation of each group. The swing shafts 'I are rotatably mounted inthe frame 2, and on the side of the members I remote of the drivingshaft 3 a second series of swing shafts 1 are provided. To both sides ofthe radially, inner end portions of each wedge shaped member are xed natsupporting arms 8. The axially 'extending ends of these arm-s -8 rareconnected to radially extending carrier rods 9, which on the other endare pivotally mounted on the corresponding swing shaft l, A ratchetlever Iii is mounted on each swing shaft 1, the free end of which isprovided with a ratchet tooth i I. The inner side of each ratchet lever'I8 carries a slidably mounted driver I2, this driver l2 being providedwith a longitudinal slot. Bolts i3 extending through the slot of thedriver I2 and screwed to 'the ratchet-lever l are used as abu'tments.The outer end of the driver i2 is provided with a cavity l (Fig. 6)destined to coact with noses I5, which are provided on the free ends ofthe supporting arms 8. The inner end of the driver I2 cooperates with acam disc I6 which is rotatably movable on the swing shaft 1, whereby thedriver I2, by the action of a spring I1 fastened to the ratchet leverI0, is pressed against the periphery of the cam disc I6. The ratchettooth II of each ratchet lever I is destined to coact with gear wheelsI9, each of which is mounted on an auxilary axis I8. These auxiliaryaxes I8 are symmetrical with regard to the corresponding swing axis 1 inthe frame 2, and are mounted on extending parts 20 which are fastened tothe frame I0. A further gear wheel I9' is mounted on the free end ofeach auxiliary shaft I8, and coacts with catch teeth 2| (Fig. 4)provided on the outer side of the axially extending parts of thesupporting arms 8. In order to avoid free rotation of the auxiliary axisI8 or of the gear-wheels I9, a brake spring 22 is provided on the centerpart of the auxiliary axis I8, which is abutting under tension on theouter gearwheel I9, as well as on the bracket 2D. Each auxiliary axiscarries a ratchet wheel 23 (Fig. 5), which is engaged by a pawl 24 (Fig.5) pivotally mounted in the frame 2, and which by means of a spring 25is kept in engagement with the ratchet wheel 23. Each pawl 24 carries areleasing plate 26, with which coacts a releasing member 21, the latterbeing fastened to the ratchet lever.

The operation of the described driving means is as follows: It isassumed that each Wedgeshaped member I of a group shall simultaneouslybe swung from its lower to its upper position, where it shall stay for ashort time interval, until it will be displaced by the following wedgemember. Assuming that the picture producer is in the position, which isshown in the drawing. The driving shaft 3 will now be turned withconstant speed in the direction of the arrow P shown in Fig. 1 whichwill cause the ratchet levers I8 to swing upwardly by the intermediaryof the bevel gear pair 4, B and the corresponding swing shaft 1. As aresult the pawl 24 will be lifted off the ratchet wheel 23 by thedisengaging device 21 against the action of the spring 25, the ratchetwheel I9 simultaneously being advanced one tooth by the ratchet tooth IIof the lever I0. The ratchet lever I0 will thereby be disengaged fromthe gear-wheel I9, and the inner gear wheel I9 which also turns, willrelease the catchtooth 2| of the supporting arm 8. As the inner end ofthe driver I2 in the represented lower end position is outwardlydisplaced by the cam disc I6 into engagement with the nose I5 of thecorresponding supporting arm 8, this latter and therefore also thelowest wedge member I of each group is connected with the driving shaft3 and therefore will be swung upwardly. At the same time the next lowerwedge member I due to its weight will advance to the lowest endposition, the catch teeth 2I of its supporting arms 8 thus moving intoengagement with the corresponding gear wheel I9. Further rotation of theauxiliary axle I8 or of the lowest wedge member I will be prevented bythe lower pawls 24, which again will become engaged with thecorresponding ratchet wheel 23. In the meantime the wedge member I whichhas swung upwardly -is approaching its upper end position. The driver I2upon reaching the end of the cam of the disc I6 moves inwardly under theaction of the spring I1, thereby releasing the nose I i. e. thecorresponding supporting arm 8 of the Wildge .mem-

ber. At the same time the ratchet tooth II of the ratchet lever I0engages the corresponding gear wheel I9, the disengaging device 26thereby releasing the ratchet wheel 24. The upper auxiliary axis I8, i.e. the gear wheel I9 as a result will turn, the supporting arms 8 of theswung wedge member I by means of its catch teeth 2I thereby will belocked by the inner gear Wheels I9. At the same time, however, therotation of the upper auxiliary axis I8 will cause the releasing of thesupporting arms 8 of the member I which, until arrival of the swungwedge member, rem'ains in the highest position. In case the supportingarms 8 of the swung wedge member i. e. its catch teeth 2| are inengagement with the gear wheels I9', the releasing device 21 willrelease again the pawl 24 and thus locks the ratchet wheel 23, thedriver I2, due tolthe construction of the cam disc I6 shown in Fig. 6,will be moved radially and inwardly under the action of the spring 1,the cavity I4 thus releasing the nose I5 of the corresponding supportingarm 8. By further turning the driving shaft 3, the ratchet levers I0without engaging the supporting arms 8 of a member I, will also beturned, until they arrive in the starting position, shown in Figs. 1, 2and 7. The wedge members as a result will stay at rest during thatperiod.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the wedge-shaped members I of the describedexample are constructed as transparent hollow bodies with open frontfaces, it thus being possible to illuminate the picture area by a lightsource, being placed laterally of the body or within the body forexample as shown at 30 in Figures 1 and 3. It is clear, that it alsowill be possible to employ solid wedge-shaped members which are notilluminated. Also the number of the members of a group, as well as thenumber of the superposed groups may be chosen as desired. Theconstruction of the driving means also may diier from the example shownand described. rThe wedge members may for instance be driven by means ofboth swing shafts of each group, or the arrangement of the correspondingmembers could be such, that these members will not sim'ultaneously bemoved as described, but successively one after the other. The drivingmeans also may be of such a construction, that the wedge-shaped membersrotate in opposite direction from the top to the bottom.

I claim:

1. A cinematographic picture producer comprising superposed groups ofwedge-shaped members, driving means operatively connected to saidmembers to successively swing the members of each group about a commonaxis into a position in which a picture area will be produced by thefaces of two wedge-shaped members of each group situated at onerelatively to the other, the Wedge edges of said members of each groupbeing located substantially in said common axis of rotation, saiddriving means comprising a driving shaft common to all groups ofwedge-shaped members and arranged laterally of the groups, one bevelwheel per group, swingshafts located on both sides of each group andcoaxial with said axis of rotation, bevel wheels mounted on said swingshafts disposed in proximity to said driving shaft and cooperating withsaid first mentioned bevel wheels, a ratchet lever on each swing shaft,a driver, longitudinally slidable on each ratchet lever, supporting armshaving a nose mounted on both sides of the radially inner .face portionsof each wedgeshaped member, said nose coasting with one end of saiddriver, supporting rods connected to said supporting arms and pivotallymounted on the corresponding swing shaft, and cam discs rotatablymovable by said swing-shafts to coact with the other end of thecorresponding driver.

2. A cinematographie picture producer as, claimed in claim 1 and whereinsaid wedgeshaped members are hollow and transparent, said driving meansbeing adapted to swing successive members of each group about the commonaxis to a position producing a picture area by two surfaces ofsuccessive members of each group which are angularly displaced by 180,

relatively to each other, and wherein illumina- 15 2,458,657

EMIL SCHMD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 522,979 Fawkes July 17, 1894739,635 Anderson Sept. 22, 1903 Terrence et al. Jan. 11, 1949

